The Lake
by honeybear8342
Summary: But Cheyne had seen enough of his face. The manager of the Real World Interface, the person who had started the war between robots and humans, the one who had harmed the lives of many, was the one she had searched for since she was young. The person, was Cheyne's divorced father. One-Shot, Please R&R.


**Image from farm4 . staticflickr 3299 / 3265902775 _ 15 a 1780 c 55 _ z . j p g**

**The Lake****  
**

The water is dark and cold and unbelievably smooth. Upside down, clouds took turns to waft past a luminous moon. There is seemingly a depth to these reflections, as if each cloud could be plucked from the lake like a flower from fertile soil. Cheyne gazed at her reflection and sighed.

The map was in her hands, old, dusty, and crisp. She had found this in the storeroom a week ago. Out of curiosity, she decided to venture further. And surprisingly, the placed located on the map was the lake that she enjoy visiting.

Cheyne folded the map, and left it on the grass. She took a deep breath, and dived into the lake.

It was aqueous, and Cheyne could hear gallons of water swirling around her, followed by soft popping of bubbles. Steadying herself, Cheyne dived deeper, deeper. The water was turning colder every moment. It was so icy here, and Cheyne could hear nothing now. All was quiet.

The map was correct, there was a metal switch.

Cheyne pressed it, and tunnel opened up in front of her. She swam in. She could breath here! Cheyne held up the waterproof torch she had brought. The water here was even colder, and seemed to press against her skin. She shivered. Then, in just a moment, the torch flickered, and diminished. Cheyne was left in the darkness, where the dark pressed against her eyes, she could not see anything.

Cheyne used her sixth sense, and moved on. She could feel the walls of the tunnel. It was slimy and dank, and smelt fetid. As Cheyne moved on, the water level decrease, and soon, there was only puddles of water left.

At last, there was a patch of light ahead. Cheyne ran, and she could hear her footsteps echoing in the dingy tunnel. The puddles of water splashed on her shoes. She had a foreboding feeling.

Suddenly, Cheyne entered a room, a room filled with machineries. There was a SWK spinner, a L-I-G-H-T characteristics measurement and more. All the equipment were perfect for making trajectories. She was at the base of some robot-making company. Cheyne looked up, and saw some notes lying around. She peered at it, and her heart almost stopped.

Cheyne knew where she was. The map was true, she was at the base of Real World Interface.

Cheyne's heart froze. There was a cough, and footsteps approaching! Cheyne looked around, there was no hiding place! Withought thinking, she just ducked behind the metal door as the man walked in a second later.

"Z-B-J Robots successfully made." Cheyne consternated. He must be the manager.

He turned, and started straight at Cheyne. Cheyne close her eyes, and prayed that he had not noticed her. Then he picked up some notes and shuffled away. He must have been so concentrated that he had not see her. Thank god.

But Cheyne had seen enough of his face. The manager of the Real World Interface, the person who had started the war between robots and humans, the one who had harmed the lives of many, was the one she had searched for since she was young. The person, was Cheyne's divorced father.

* * *

_Year 2095._

It all started, when trajectories had become a trend. Companies had been built, to make robots, to assist humans in their daily life. But, the Real World Interface was the most popular and liked.

Peace was not forever. The manager had interpolated a chip into each robot, so that they would listen to him no matter what. And now, he had controlled those trajectories to subjugate human kind, so that he could be the conquer of the world.

Her mother was a nurse working at one of the hospitals. Yet, just yesterday, it was bombed by these robots, and Cheyne was left homeless, helpless.

The only way to stop all this was to kill the manager.

Was kinship more important, or was it the lives of humanity?

* * *

They were in the lab room, the room at the end of the tunnel. It seems strange, but when you want anything to slow down, to stop, time seems to speed up faster, and the thing would be happening right before you even realised it.

The manager stopped short the moment he saw Cheyne and the Police. His tools fell onto the floor with a soft clang. Then, in just a split second, he was tied up. It was hard to see what was happening, as the Police's movements were so swift and fast.

"Cheyne! You have to get out of here! There's going to be an explosion! Go, just go! Now!"

Cheyne looked at her father, not knowing what to do. That voice, it was so warm and familiar. It was the voice she had heard, and had followed since she was young. It was the voice that had lulled her to sleep every night, before that divorce.

"Why? Why did you do all this? Do you how many you have killed, you even killed your wife! Just how evil are you?"

Her father had not changed; it was still that face in the pictures she had seen. Sallow oval face, big brown eyes, and a cap of slightly curly hair. He looked remarkably like herself. She had found him, she had. But was this the ending she wanted?

"Cheyne, go! What are you staring at? Go!"

"Papa... Why?"

The manager kicked the Police officers nearest to him and ran towards Cheyne. He grabbed her out of the room, and pushed her out of the tunnel. Cheyne could feel those warm hands wrapped around her. Why was her father rescuing her, if he was the one that was destroying the world?

A shot was fired at them.

"Papa..."

Cheyne watched in horror as her father coughed out blood in her face. His face was twisted unpleasantly. Her hot torrents of grief coursed out of her eyes like the breaking of a dam, mingling with the cool lake.

Why was he doing this?

"Cheyne, I'm sorry to leave you. I just wanted to focus on what I want to do in future, to be one conquer. I thought that after I had achieved everything, we would unite, and live happily... I'm sorry if I was not the perfect father in your eyes... I'm sorry... Take this letter...Please..."

Then, he was going. His eyes were opened, reflecting the stars that she would not be able to see. His hand slipped in hers, and he was gone.

An officer grabbed her, and she was dragged onto dry land. Cheyne twisted and struggled. She wanted her father! She sobbed as she watched her father retreat into the bottom of the lake, gone...forever.

"Papa!"

A mild explosion followed, one that tingled her nerves. She only understood one thing- that nothing would ever be the same again, that she would no longer be able to see her father.

* * *

_Dear Cheyne,_

_I don't know if this letter would ever reach you, but maybe it would, by luck perhaps. I am sorry if I have let you down, or if I have never been perfect in your eyes. You see, when you were little, just a small child, you went to this kindergarten, and the kids there always bullied you, teasing you. Every night, you would cry to sleep, and say how much you hate this world._

_It was true. At some places, people eat so much that they took food for granted, and wasted much. But yet, at other places, people are starving to death every moment, just like our hometown, though you were not born there._

_And so, I hatched a daring plan, to conquer this world, to stop all this suffering, all this injustice. I'm not finding an excuse for myself, but that was all I want._

_I want to let you live happily. I want you to see the true and beautiful colors in this planet. I did this all for you, and I would die for you. I love you._

_Loving you always,_

_Your Papa_

* * *

_Three years had passed._

Cheyne stood at the lake, breathing in the minty air. The moon has already completed the last stage in its slow arc, and so had she. The lake was smoother than ever, and she could feel it calling her, for her to join it. With both eyes closed, Cheyne jumped into the lake.

She was in a boat, a boat heading towards the sun. Another cloud blows past her and the moon winked at Cheyne as if to say, "I know why you loiter so long by this lake." For a moment she was exposed by golden light and a thin shadow stretches behind her. Cheyne felt serene, and peaceful. She knew that this was the place where she belonged, a place to reunite with the one she had loved. For the first time, she didn't feel insecure, but rather glad. She was leaving the past, and heading towards a new bright future.


End file.
